Month: June 2023

Now, we conclude our look at how God equips us to live a courageous life in Christ in a fearful world. Remember, we are not unarmed in the fight against our fears and the related attacks of the enemy. “For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control’ (2 Tim 1:6-7, ESV)” Last time we examined fear conquering love; now, we look at the importance of self-control in the context of fear. This is vitally important because fear is a component of almost every negative human experience and a primary method of attack by the enemy.

As we discussed previously, there is a wide range of variation in the human responses to fear. (See Fear Not!-Part 1). The Four Fear Responses: Fight, Flight, Freeze, and Fawn By Amy Marschall, PsyD ). For many people, especially men, the default response is fight (fear based anger expressed in aggression). Therefore, it’s not surprising that the Bible places limits on aggressions like revenge. These limitations promote stable communities while addressing vital spiritual issues like self-control.

In the ancient Hebrew Scriptures, God placed limits on retaliation while codifying self-control: “If anyone injures his neighbor, as he has done it shall be done to him, fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; whatever injury he has given a person shall be given to him. (Leviticus 24:19-20, ESV). The passage places limits on retaliation which was generally pursued by the kinship redeemer, a male family enforcer of justice (https://www.christianity.com/wiki/bible/importance-and-meaning-of-a-kinsman-redeemer.html). Limiting the human kinship redeemers is part of the process of Yahweh becoming the kinship redeemer for Israel, setting a pattern further developed by the Messiah.

In the Gospels, Jesus expands this notion. We are called to exercise self-control as a spiritual discipline. “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ “But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also (Matthew 5:38-39). Notice that Jesus doesn’t want us to be vulnerable to sin while facing evil. As a result, Jesus becomes the kinship redeemer for all who follow him. He becomes an insulator between us and the temptation to seek vengeance (sinning in fear based anger). Ironically, our desire to seek justice can cause us to act unjustly. No doubt this is at least in part a diabolical scheme of the enemy.

There are many everyday illustrations of this evil scheme. Some examples are relatively benign. In football, it’s often the second punch that draws the flag. Many a dirty player has specialized in goading the opposition to retaliate to hidden cheap shots. When I was a police officer, we were warned against this phenomenon. Sometimes, the stakes are much higher. A training officer told us not to lie or falsify evidence in our frustrations. We were to avoid the temptation of violating the law in the pursuit of violators because we were “afraid that they would get away with it.” This often takes a great deal of self-control. Notice that this is another case of secular wisdom directly stemming from Judeo-Christian sources.

In the face of fear, we are called to resist both our primal impulses toward violence and demonic temptations. Too often we get out of control because we cannot do this by ourselves. But, we don’t have to. Through Christ, God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.’ The gift of self-control leads us to let go and let God (1):

God You don’t need me
But somehow You want me
Oh how You love me
Somehow that frees me
To take my hands off of my life
And the way it should go
But somehow You want me
Oh how You love me
Somehow that frees me
To open my hands up
And give You control
I give You control
(Control by Seventh Avenue North)

The Barnabas Strategy is an initiative of the Holy Spirit free of institutional constraints. … Ron Bellomy
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(1) a phrase from 12 step programs

We are looking at how God equips us to live a courageous life in Christ in a fearful world. Remember, we are not unarmed in the fight against our fears and the related attacks of the enemy. “For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control’ (2 Tim 1:6-7, ESV)” Last time we examined fear conquering power; now, we look at the unique love of God in the context of fear.

There are three kinds of love in scripture. Eros is romantic love, and philos is familial (brotherly) love. Here, Paul uses the third type which is agape. Agape is “a purely Biblical and ecclesiastical word” which is likely rooted in ancient Greek (Thayer’s Greek Lexicon). Some scholars believe it was coined specifically to describe the early Christian understanding of God’s love. It’s the same type of love Paul references in the famous love anthem in 1 Corinthians 13: Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things (verses 4-7, ESV).

Well, that’s interesting, but how does agape equip us to deal with fear? I’m so glad you asked. Let’s look at just a few ways this happens:
1. Fears (whether rooted in the realities of living in a lost and broken world or resulting from spiritual attack/trauma) are often correlated with falsehoods. Satan is the “father of lies” (Jn 8:44) and ruler of the world (Luk 4:5-8). He generally induces fear into the world and specifically uses fear based lies as a major weapon against us. Agape predisposes believers to seek (rejoice in) the truth. For me, this means that God’s love motivates us to relentlessly pursue God and God’s love (time with the Word, worship, prayer, etc.). This process builds our faith (the opposite of fear) and displaces the lies of the enemy and this world with “… the way and the truth and the life…” (Jn 14:6) of Jesus Christ.

2. Life is a spiritual battlefield often played out as a war of attrition*. If it’s just us against the worldly powers and principalities, we’re in deep trouble. We may do well for quite a while, but we will eventually become tired, worn and depleted. How can we endure? The simple truth is that we can’t by ourselves. But, we are not in this alone. God’s love is accompanied by God’s power (the healing miracles and the resurrection are prime examples; also see Eph 1:15-23). That’s why Paul writes that love can bear and endure all things (without exception). “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31, ESV).

At an extremely low point in my life and in response to a frantic prayer of desperation, I felt the unmistakable presence of God next to me on the steps of a townhouse in Hewitt, Texas. It was divine love that motivated His presence; it was the same love that empowered me to endure when I wanted to quit. The Cross of Christ is an ever present reminder of that fear conquering love.

These are just a few examples of how agape equips us to deal with fear. To help you fear not my brothers, I leave you with the words of the Apostle John. Just as God’s love helps us with fears in everyday life, it also insures that we need not fear the day of judgement:

So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because he first loved us (1 Jn4:16-19, ESV).

Next, we will continue Fear Not! by looking at the gift of self-control in the context of living courageous lives in Christ.

The Barnabas Strategy is an initiative of the Holy Spirit free of institutional constraints. … Ron Bellomy

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*A prolonged war or period of conflict during which each side seeks to gradually wear out the other by a series of small-scale actions (for example WWI trench warfare).

Lately, I’ve had a minor case of writer’s block and/or laziness (the topic for a future post). It’s a pitfall of being retired in the Texas summer. It’s simply easier to not write. Thanks to the text from a friend, I am ready to move forward. (SIDE NOTE: never underestimate the importance of simply touching base.)

As a reminder, we are looking at how God equips us to live a courageous life in Christ in a fearful world. “Paul reminds us as he reminded Timothy that we are not unarmed in the fight against our fears and the related attacks of the enemy. ‘For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control’ (2 Tim 1:6-7, ESV)” (Fear Not!, Part 1). Now, let’s look at the gift of POWER.

At the basic level, power is simply the ability to get something done… accomplish a task. Great power can be intoxicating, even addicting. (As witnessed by my long term love affair with muscle cars.) The lust for power is a significant reason for the unending corruption/evil in politics, which is dealing with power in groups of people. And as we know, the church isn’t immune to this phenomenon. Conversely, little or no power is also a significant issue which is the aspect of power Paul addresses in the 2 Timothy passage.

Too many Christians suffer from the spiritual disease of powerlessness. Overwhelming personal issues and societal upheaval coupled with the lies of the enemy have convinced many believers that they are victims of circumstances. I call this “Woe is Me Theology.”Sadly, many churches ignore, or worse even feed into, this tragic lie. The results can be devastating because the feeling of powerlessness can lead to hopelessness and despair. It is not to be so with those who call Jesus Lord and Savior.

Paul offers a decidedly different view of power… “the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion…” (excerpt from Eph 1:15-23 ESV). (See also Romans 6:10-11 and 8:11 where Paul clearly states that resurrection power resides in the faithful.)

Therefore, the phrase powerless Christian is a complete contradiction in terms. Through Christ we have access to the power of God… the same power that effortlessly spoke the universe into being… the same power that crushed death in the resurrection… the same power that makes the Sun seem like a depleted AAA battery. My friends, if you feel powerless I suggest you talk to a trusted advisor, pray, attend worship, read the Word. ***

Do whatever it takes to “… fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power…” (2 Tim 1:6-7, ESV)

(***link to 100 related passages: https://www.openbible.info/topics/the_same_spirit_that_raise_christ_from_the_dead_is_the_same_spirit_that_will_raise_us_from_the_dead ).

Next, we will continue Fear Not! by looking at the gift of love in the context of living courageous lives in Christ.

The Barnabas Strategy is an initiative of the Holy Spirit free of institutional constraints. … Ron Bellomy